In brief
A relentless monsoon storm has turned Bangladesh into a flood disaster, claiming 51 lives and displacing over a million people, according to authorities. The hardest hit area is Cox’s Bazar, home to the world’s largest Rohingya refugee camp, where landslides and flash floods have already killed dozens. The government has evacuated thousands of families and postponed student exams, but flooding remains widespread across Dhaka and beyond. Experts warn that climate change is amplifying rainfall intensity and that further inundation is possible in the coming days. Humanitarian relief efforts are urgently needed, with the plight of the Rohingya remaining at the forefront of the crisis.
Bangladesh is reeling from a severe monsoon event that has claimed 51 lives and displaced over a million residents.
The floods and landslides have struck the country’s low‑lying plains, including the capital Dhaka, where water has reached knee level in several districts.
Worsening impacts were first reported in Cox’s Bazar, a city that hosts the world’s largest Rohingya refugee settlement. There, more than a quarter of the deaths – 28 – were recorded, after recent floods swept through a school, killing students and a teacher.
Bangladesh’s monsoon season routinely brings heavy rainfall, but climate scientists warn that intensity and frequency have risen in recent years, hiking the risk of catastrophic events.
Govment officials have evacuated thousands of families to shelters and postponed exams for students in high‑risk areas. Traffic in Dhaka is severely hampered by water‑logged streets, and local media are questioning the effectiveness of earlier drain‑clearing measures.
Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre chief Sarder Udoy Raihan told a media briefing that conditions in the southeast should improve soon, though he cautioned that continued rains could still cause further inundation.
Officials confirm that more than 1 million people have been affected to date, underscoring an urgent need for humanitarian relief and robust disaster‑management strategies.